Mainz vs. Holstein Kiel preview: Champions League hopefuls host cellar-dwellers | OneFootball

Mainz

After 14 points in six matches, Mainz were finally beaten again in the Bundesliga when they lost 3-1 in Dortmund last week. However, the performance was admirable as they tried to play with full vigor and attacking intent.

If we look at the standings, that has to be expected from a team in contention for a Champions League berth. But, it’s worth reminding that this is beyond pre-season expectations. Heniksen’s men took full advantage of the inconsistent season by the bigger teams to dream of a first club appearance in the Champions League.

Their Mewa Arena form played a big part in their success. After starting the season with a single point from the first four home games, they’re currently unbeaten in their last nine Bundesliga outings in front of a home crowd.

In addition, we had to go back to 2014 to find the last time Mainz lost at home against a bottom-placed team (2-1 defeat to Werder Bremen).

Team News

Henriksen gave Jonathan Burkardt and Paul Nebel a break from team training in midweek for workload management reasons. Phillipp Mwene will return to the side after missing last weekend’s defeat due to suspension. Dominik Kohr is absent once again after a two-game suspension for his seventh Bundesliga red card.

Meanwhile, Stefan Bell and Maxim Dal are still in rehabilitation training. Henriksen also granted Benni Hoffmann’s request to use five first-team players in Mainz’s U23 fight against relegation from the Regionalliga. The list includes former US international Lennard Maloney and Nelson Weiper, who only missed one Bundesliga game in 2025.

Holstein Kiel

While there is little movement at the top of the Bundesliga’s table, the situation changes frequently at the other end of the standings. Kiel had the momentum when they beat Union Berlin and drew with Stuttgart, but they’re now at the foot of the league after costly defeats to Heidenheim and Werder Bremen.

This resulted in a five-point gap between the Bundesliga’s newbies and the playoff spot. There was no surprise that Marcel Rapp’s side is fighting for survival as this is the first appearance at this level for the modest club.

If anything, in a positive way, there is a bewildering factor to their season. Alongside Premier League champions-elect Liverpool, Kiel is the only team to score in every away game from the top-five leagues.

Although they’ll focus on the battle against relegation, Kiel would love to keep this up until the end of the season. On their last four travels (Mainz, Leipzig, Freiburg and Dortmund), they will face teams vying for a European place, however.

Team News

Benedikt Pichle is the new name on Kiel’s injury list as he sustained a muscle injury. Meanwhile, Patrick Erras (concussion protocol), Ivan Nekic (muscle) and Andu Kelati (knee) continue to be on the sidelines.